About This Career

Provides and manages health education programs that help individuals, families, and their communities maximize and maintain healthy lifestyles. Uses data to identify community needs prior to planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating programs designed to encourage healthy lifestyles, policies, and environments. May link health systems, health providers, insurers, and patients to address individual and population health needs. May serve as resource to assist individuals, other health professionals, or the community, and may administer fiscal resources for health education programs.

This career is part of the Human Services cluster Family and Community Services pathway.

A person in this career:

• Prepares and distributes health education materials, such as reports, bulletins, and visual aids, to address smoking, vaccines, and other public health concerns.
• Develops and maintains cooperative working relationships with agencies and organizations interested in public health care.
• Maintains databases, mailing lists, telephone networks, and other information to facilitate the functioning of health education programs.
• Documents activities and records information, such as the numbers of applications completed, presentations conducted, and persons assisted.
• Develops and presents health education and promotion programs, such as training workshops, conferences, and school or community presentations.
• Collaborates with health specialists and civic groups to determine community health needs and the availability of services and to develop goals for meeting needs.
• Supervises professional and technical staff in implementing health programs, objectives, and goals.
• Develops, conducts, or coordinates health needs assessments and other public health surveys.
• Develops operational plans and policies necessary to achieve health education objectives and services.
• Provides program information to the public by preparing and presenting press releases, conducting media campaigns, or maintaining program-related Web sites.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 10 lbs., sometimes up to 20 lbs. You might do a lot of walking or standing, or you might sit but use your arms and legs to control machines, equipment or tools.
• Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person

Work Hours and Travel

• Regular working hours and limited travel